Encounter on Shivapuri

The valley of Kathmandu was under the usual fog when a small group started ascending to the peak of Shivapuri, home to Shiva, the God of breakage and the destroyer of ignorance. It is the local mountain of Kathmandu (Nepal). There were no paths yet and the group had to find its path over rough and smooth. After a certain time of ascension they suddenly found themselves in a small clearing - in front of a cave-like overhanging rock where a fire was gleaming. Behind it, sitting in the very chilly morning air, there was a meditating yogi, wearing only a loincloth. Slowly, the fog began to clear and here and there the sun emerged.

The group stopped in surprise. However, they were waved nearer and - after some hesitation - they approached the yogi greeting him with "Namaste". Silently, the yogi asked the arriving persons to take a seat on the surrounding tree trunks. There was silence.

After some time the yogi asked: "Where are you from, where are you going to?“ In this way, a discussion came up ending with the question of how to find the path of liberation. "How can we reach liberation from the wheel of birth and death? We, people living in the noisiness of the world, in the city with our families and daily sorrows, we would like to know if you, too, yogi, even after so many years of meditation and loneliness are still on the way?"

After a long silence his answer was: "I was looking for my way and found it. Do not try to copy or to imitate it. Search for it in your world, search with your entire being and you will find it. Will it be the same path as mine or will it be another? The path can be found and followed everywhere while you only have to open the door within you.“ Then there was silence.

The group understood. They got the message and knew that they now should leave the yogi alone. With a silent "Namaste" they drew back and climbed the last meters to the mountain of Shiva. On the peak there was bright sunshine while the ice and snow of the Himalaya were radiant in an almost unearthly beauty.